Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Ozzylizard:

No date bottle but 'Batch 1", cellared in a bottle shop's reefer, 40-42 degrees, into a goblet.Aroma figgyHead small (1.5 cm), light brown, creamy, mostly diminishingFair rings of lacingBody dark brownBegins moderately sweet with a fig/date flavor - no diacetyl, no hops, no maltinessEnds the same.Body is medium to full with a creamy texture and lively carbonation.

Actually better flavor than I remember from the first time I tried it a couple of years ago - don't recall the figginess.

More User Reviews:

I love the hops and I love a good Baltic porter so I picked this up today to see how the two styles mesh.Poured into a 1/2 liter stein a deep dark roasted chesnut brown with some deep reddish hue,a huge fluffy tan colored crown that never really settles atop.Dark roast,molasses,and earthy hops in the nose,the hops are not in your face but are pretty "big".Heavy roast and molasses-like sweetness up front with a bit of coffee,the hops provide earthiness and leafy notes.Hmm I wanted to like this more than I did,I have had hopped up big porters,and American black ales but this is a little different.It's decent but not great although I applaud SA for giving it a try.

T - taste is similarly chocolate forward, with a cocoa aspect as well. More roasted malts in the taste than the smell. Hops come in midway and bring orange seat bitterness through the finish. Pretty good, bit I was enjoying it more before the hops came in.

M - Medium mouthfeel starts with some creaminess, before turning bitter and dry.

O - Pretty good, but I think I would enjoy this morethan with a more subdued hop profile.

Overall: This strikes me as more of a sweet Black IPA than a Baltic Porter. I love the multiple layers of different chocolates in this one. I would pick this one up again if I was in the mood for a black ipa.

The beer pours a very dark brownish-red color with a tan head. The aroma is made up mainly of chocolate and roasted malt, with a little bit of pine thrown in from the hops. The flavor is similar. The pine from the hops adds a decent amount of bitterness, but there is also a chocolate and roasted malt backbone with a little bit of cream thrown in. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Appearance: Dark red carmel color, beige head of about three fingers that lasted a long time with heavy lacing on the glass.

Smell: Smokey, hops, roasted malts?

Mouthfeel/Taste: Medium bodied, smoother that I thought it would be. Taste was a smoked flavor with bittersweet hops.

Overall: Not really my type of beer, surprised this was released with a summer IPA varity pack, I would think this was more of a fall/winter beer. Unfortunatly I did not enjoy this beer and will not buy it again.

Smell: Citrus and pine are most noticeable, over top of chocolate and a light roastiness. As with hoppy Imperial Stouts and strong Black Ales, the combination reminds me of roses and meat. Odd, but I have gotten used to it.

Taste: Tastes like a fruity, chocolatly, clean lager, but sabotaged with a buttload of citrusy and piney hops. The juxtaposition is great.

Feel: Definitely has the mouthfeel of a Baltic Porter (medium full body, moderate carbonation, smooth, clean), but with an unusually high level of dryness.

Overall: Fantastic clashing of styles that is way more adventurous than I expected of Sam Adams. Extremely impressed.